Sweet torture
by hectatess
Summary: Having a sweettooth never hurt him... but now... he is being tortured... with sweet deprivation. A oneshot


He opened his eyes, which, as a multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent, was an odd thing to do. Then, he rolled his shoulders. Same thing applied there.

"What the sweet candy corn?" he cried out, his voice cracked with disuse.

"Ok, calm down... there has to be an explanation. If only I could frigging get it!" His eyes wandered on the ceiling, not much to see.

It was dark where he was lying, and the musty smell of stale air tickled his nose. He sneezed, which again: odd thing for him to do.

"I reiterate: What the sweet candy corn?" he exclaimed, sitting cross-legged, his hands resting on his knees.

"Ohh, okay. So, I'm... in a vessel." He glanced around and a vague glint caught his eye. Being who he was, he didn't need much light to see. He studied his surroundings. It appeared that he was in an old, unused bedroom. Long vacant by the smell of it. It was sparkinglot furnished, a simple bed, a chest of wood drawers, a nightstand and a washbasin.

He walked over to the latter. Annoyed, he noticed he had to stretch a bit to see himself in the mirror.

"Fudge... couldn't I have picked a larger vessel this time?" He peered at his reflection.

"Ok, apparently not. I'm... me. Again." He grinned. He actually liked Leif as his vessel, and Gabriel was delighted to be in his old body again.

"Oh," he realized with a sad tug at his heart, "I was dead, wasn't I?" He bit his lip and his mischievous eyes grew sad.

He searched inside, but Leif's soul was gone. His vessel was only home to him now. He stretched, fully, and a thunderclap sounded. Lightning flashes cast the shadows of his wings on the wall. As he relaxed, the wings drooped down and the lightning faded away with the thunder.

"Man! That felt good!" To his right, a door flew open and he blinked in the sudden flash of electric light.

A gruff voice called out: "Ok asshat, who are y... what hell?!"

When he could see again, he immediately teared up, "Dean? Sam?"

The two tall shadows moved and the shorter gingerly reached out and touched his sleeve. Next thing he knew, cold metal pressed to his jugular.

"Ok, ok. Easy there boys..." A quick glance down told him that it was just an angel blade. But that could still sting pretty bad.

"Gabriel?" The second man finally spoke. His voice was softer and warmer.

"Hiya, Sammich. Miss me?" The pressure to his neck got harder.

"Shut it, wingnut. Until we have definite proof you're you... we ain't going to trust you. Hell, maybe we won't trust you, even if you are who you say you are." Dean looked nothing short of murderous.

"Sammy..." he said, and Sam jumped a bit.

"Right, yeah. On it," he answered and took off.

Without taking his eyes off Gabriel, or relaxing his blade, Dean pulled up a chair.

Pointing at it he added, "Sit. And stay. I don't know how you got past the warding, but I'm sure it's being remedied right now." Holding his hands up in a submissive gesture, Gabriel sat down. Pretty soon footsteps neared.

"I amped up the Bunker's ward-" a gravelly voice sounded, but it faded out as he saw what was happening in front of him, "Gabriel?"

Dean looked at the newcomer, "Hey, Cas. So. This asshat really is Gabriel?"

Castiel looked from Dean to Gabriel, and back, "Yes. But..."

Dean cut him off, "Shouldn't the warding have kept him out?"

Castiel glared at him, "Yes. Now could you..."

Dean lowered the blade and handed it to Castiel, "Take him to the War room, will ya? I need a beer."

Sam spluttered, "Dean, really... it's Gabriel."

Dean didn't even turn around, "I know. I also know that he was dead. As in scorched wings in the floor, permanently, irrevocably dead. Don't tell me this doesn't set off a whole freaking tickertape parade of red flags."

He glared around the room, "War room. Now."

Castiel carefully guided Gabriel along through the, indeed very Bunker-like, hallways. "I don't blame you, Castiel. It must be weird, having me back from the dead."

His baby brother hummed, "Not so much being back. We have had that happen quite a few times. But you are the first ever angel to pop back up after an angel blade killed them."

Gabriel pouted at that, "Archangel's blade, bucko. An angel blade hurts like hell, but won't quite kill me."

A delicious scent drifted out of a passageway, "Oh, oh my Dad... What's that smell?"

Castiel sniffed once, "Oh. Dean was baking, I guess."

Gabriel blinked, even as he drooled, "Wait... Dean was baking? When the hell did he turn into Sally Homemaker?"

Castiel urged him on, "I think we can answer your questions after you have answered ours."

He glanced at his baby brother, impressed despite himself. "Well, well, well. Cassie, who would have thought? You have changed, baby brother. No longer the subservient Yes man, are you?"

This time Castiel shoved him, "Later, Gabriel. First, we need to find out what happened here."

Lights hummed around him and his eyes were caught by a large, ornate table with an inlay of the world map, "Whoa, Sally! You weren't kidding when you said 'War room', were you?"

Dean entered from another passageway, carrying a tray which wafted that sweet, yet spicy smell, "No, we weren't. Sit."

Gabriel sunk on a chair, swallowing his saliva. Whatever was on that tray, it smelled delectable.

Sam sat down opposite him, slowly shaking his head.

"Dean..." he started, but Dean put the tray down and cut him off.

"Can it, bleeding heart. I ain't trusting him yet." He snapped his head around to Gabriel, who tore his eyes off the perfectly baked cupcakes. They were a darker brown, with nice swirls of frosting and a walnut on top. From the smell alone, Gabriel could tell they were the kind of baking you do in fall. Spicy and warming. He wanted one so bad.

Sam cocked his head at his brother, an unspoken question in his eyes. Dean smirked and nodded. Sam leaned back and snatched a cupcake. It took all Gabriel had not to whine as the hunter took a big bite.

"Hm. These are amazing, Dean." Sam praised.

Dean ducked his head in thanks, "Glad you like them. Here."

He passed a cupcake towards Gabriel, "Have one."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at him. Dean rolled his eyes, commenting "Just thought you might want one. If I remember correctly, you do love sweet stuff."

Gabriel grabbed the pastry and bit a hefty chunk out of it, moaning at the sweet and yet spicy taste. "Mmmm! Oh, Dad! These are just great! What are they?"

Dean smirked, "These are Carrot 'n Pumpkin Cupcakes, with a brown sugar cream cheese frosting. I found the recipe online."

Gabriel swallowed the last bite and moaned again, "Oh... so good."

Dean smiled, winking at Sam, "Lucky for you, I felt like baking. Even though it isn't pie... Here, have another."

Gabriel gaped at him, "Are you serious? I thought you didn't trust me..."

Dean still smiled, but his eyes didn't join anymore, "You bet I don't, but I'm no monster. I won't deprive you of sugar, you junkie. Plus, you did help out with the whole Elysian Fields thing."

Sam nodded, "You deserve a cupcake or two for that."

With a delighted sigh, Gabriel took his second cupcake. When he went in for a third, the tray was whisked away.

"Hey! I thought I could have some..." he whined, unable to stop himself. The tray was nowhere in sight, so his brother must have done the hiding.

"Castiel... brother..." he pleaded, turning his golden eyes on him, but Castiel raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "I am not in charge of the pastries, Gabriel."

Gabriel turned to Sam, knowing he was the one with the softer heart. "Saaammm. Sam-a-lam, please... I need more."

Sam smirked and scoffed.

"Just two cupcakes? Is that all it takes? Wow."

He turned to Dean.

"You were right, Dean. He hasn't changed." Dean licked his lips, a bit of frosting in the corner of his mouth.

"Hm... But they are pretty good cupcakes, you gotta agree." Gabriel keened softly and looked back at Sam, who just bit into another cupcake. He chewed slowly and licked the crumbs and frosting off his lips, "Hm. Hmhm. Very, very good."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes, "You... you... you flannel-clad deviants!"

Dean just smirked, "That's called leverage, learn it, live it, love it."

Sam and Castiel exchanged looks and smirks.

"We want answers, Gabriel. And you, you are going to provide them." Gabriel gulped, Castiel sounded so harsh, so bitter. What had happened? How long had he been gone?

Dean wiped his mouth with his thumb and licked it clean, "Hm. The frosting is damn good if I say so myself."

He turned to Gabriel as he pulled the paper cup off another cupcake, "So. What happened?"

Gabriel sighed, "I don't know, guys. I really don't. I just woke up there, on that bed. I thought I was kinda, you know... celestial until I realized I was using a body, mine. Sad to say, after nearly 700 years, Leif has left the building."

He eyed Castiel, who dropped his head in sympathy, "I wish I had answers, boys, but I don't."

Dean's eyes flicked to Castiel, "Is he lying?"

Castiel's eyes scanned Gabriel's face, "No. I sense no falsehood. Maybe Father brought him back..."

Sam nodded, licking frosting off his fingers, "Ok. Well, He must have had a reason."

Dean hung his head, "Well, that's just peachy. Since Chuck is M.I.A. again, we can't really ask him now, can we?"

He rolled those amazing green eyes and grunted, "Just perfect. Very us. Ok, Gabe. Bet you're sugar depraved after being dead six years. Cas, give the rest to this sugar junkie."

The tray reappeared, only five cupcakes left on it. Gabriel picked one up and wiped some frosting off it with his finger. The creamy sweetness tingled over his tongue, humming at his taste-buds. Then his brain caught on to his ears, and he spluttered around his finger. "Six years? Six, frikken years?"

Dean nodded, "Hmhm. Quite a while, huh?"

"So, what happened with the Apocalypse?" Gabriel asked, popping the walnut off the last cupcake in his mouth.

Sam scoffed and Dean smirked wryly, "Which one?"

Gabriel stopped dead, the cupcake in his hand hovering in front of his mouth. He sat it back down, "Which one? What do you mean, which one?"

Castiel sighed, "Well, the latest one was when we, how did you phrase that, Dean? Oh, right, we "Tried to shove Amara's ass back in her box."

Gabriel gaped, "Amara? Aunt Amara? As in the Darkness?"

Dean swigged his beer. "That's the lady."

Looking at the dead serious faces around him, Gabriel blinked, "But... it took all four Archangels plus Dad to put her in in the first place... and you three did it on your own?"

Sam leaned in, "Well, no. We didn't. Chuck and his sister made up and that was all Dean's doing."

Dean looked down at his hands, "Well. She was out because of me, so..."

Gabriel finally took a big bite out of his last Carrot 'n Pumpkin Cupcake and chewed. "We definitely need to catch up. Dean-o, could you make more of these babies? I think I will need them."


End file.
